Alison Goldfrapp at Roundhouse

It was a fabulous, mature, rainbow-heavy crowd for Alison Goldfrapp in Chalk Farm, with many sequins, bodices and metallic leathers on show. Goldfrapp herself took to the stage in a black sequinned bolero jacket, black sequinned gloves with diamante bracelets and rings on top of them, high-waisted trousers and platform shoes, her ice blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail that ended in double plaits. She cut an ageless figure. Joining her on stage alongside the four revolving half-disco balls were her drummer, two women on keytars, synths and backing vocals, and two dancers who sleekly pulled into poses a sophisticated choreography.

The first part of the set was material from her debut solo album, The Love Invention, which takes inspiration from Italo-disco sounds. The opening song was the shimmering In Electric Blue, which set the tone of dancefloor love that continued throughout the gig. The pulsating So Hard So Hot made the most of Goldfrapp’s singular sex appeal, as did crowd favourite Number 1, which is just a perfect song. It combines the sentimental with the raw, “You’re my favourite moment / You’re my Saturday… I’m like a dog to get you” in a way that no one else could pull off. She followed that with Impossible, a song she wrote with Royksopp, a soaring electronic track that sat perfectly with the rest of the set.

Goldfrapp’s presence was loving but cool. Her chat mainly involved picking out people she liked the look of in the crowd: “Look at you!” Her ethereal vocals were flawless and glamorous, and her slinky, nonchalant dance moves when she deigned to perform them effortlessly evoked the Studio 54 vibe she obviously admires. She never seems like she’s trying too hard, which is appealing. Her ethos was high-camp strutting and the crowd went absolutely wild for it. The whole show was a slinky, pulsating dance-off.

She left a long enough pause before her encore for the audience to whip themselves into a frenzy and returned in a jacket of sequin-trimmed giant ruffles to sing Gatto Gelato, Ooh La La, Strict Machine and Fever (This is the Real Thing). On irresistible banger Ooh La La, which is from Goldfrapp’s glam rock era, she sounds like a female Marc Bolan. On Strict Machine, she’s in love with a strict machine. The new material blended well with the more established songs for a glittery, lovely show.

Jessica Wall
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Alison Goldfrapp’s website here.

Watch the video for the single here: